VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — Officials have identified the pilot who died after he crashed his plane into a Van Zandt County home Tuesday evening
Roger D. Turner, 60, of Edgewood, was identified as the pilot who crashed into the side of a house on Private Road 7005 just off of Van Zandt County Road 3119, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Adam Albritton said.
Albritton said the civilian aircraft crashed in the area around 6 p.m. No one was inside the home at the time of the crash, and Turner was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Turner was on his way back from Addison, where he works and was the only person on the plane, according to DPS.
"There wasn't anybody home at the time of the crash. The residence was empty," Albritton said.
State Sen. Bob Hall is one of the residents in the neighborhood and was there when the crash happened.
"We saw tree limbs down and in the aircraft and and the emergency crews working to try to get him out of the plane, which is a terrible tragedy," Hall said.
Hall said Turner and his family had just moved into the neighborhood a few months ago… and Hall said Turner has rode his plane many times before this. Hall also said there was a lot of fuel leaking out of the plane.
"The emergency crews who did a really good job of getting here quickly and doing what was necessary to keep it from catching fire," Hall said.
Officials said the house has minor damage to the gutter. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the scene to find out more on what caused the plane to crash.
